MORRISON — Nine counties in northern Illinois – Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago – have joined together to implement Next Generation 911 services throughout each of their communities.

All counties have also deployed text to 911 services for their residents, according to a news release. Authorities in those counties are reminding their communities to only text 911 when they need help and are unable to call and speak with 911. Also, do not attempt to test text-to-911 services; this technology has been thoroughly tested and additional texts for test purposes only add to the already heavy workload of 911 dispatchers and centers.

Voice calls are still the best and fastest way to reach 911 in an emergency, and texting to 911 should only be used in an emergency when the reporting party is unable to place a call. Examples of this would include if the caller is deaf, hearing impaired, speech impaired or in a situation where speaking out loud could endanger the caller or someone else.

The initial text to 911 should include the location and type of emergency, and all messages to 911 should be brief, though without abbreviations, emojis or slang terms. Those who text 911 still need to be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from dispatchers, just as they would if they had placed a 911 voice call.